STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Domenic Recchia aspires to a place in Congress -- he already has a place at the table, the kitchen table.

Democrat Recchia spent Friday night with some Hurricane Sandy-slammed residents as part of his “Kitchen Table Listening Tour.”

Recchia, who's running against Michael Grimm, the incumbent, says the sessions help him get a feel for the key issues and Staten Islanders' concerns should he win election in November.

Nine homeowners joined Recchia around the table of New Dorp Beach's Chris O’Brien Friday night. All live in the neighborhood and saw their homes destroyed or grievously damaged by Sandy; getting back to a semblance of normal has been extremely expensive and time-consuming.

Most said Sandy victims have been shorted by insurance companies or FEMA. Other aid programs only ensnare them in red tape, they complained.

John Valenza said he spent $90,000 effecting repairs, then was made to jump through hoops for inadequate reimbursement.

“We are hardworking people,” said Valenza, “We do the right thing and we got [cheated], because we had resources. We took out loans, we used our credit cards, we did what the average middle-class person would do.”

Among other issues discussed, Dr. Anna Villafane added there's a serious flooding problem in the area when it rains, which also brings rats. Now, “As a result of Sandy, we are all petrified of water,” she said, adding that complaints to city agencies have yielded no results.

Recchia averred that more federal funding is needed for infrastructure here.

O’Brien, a father of two, said that particularly after Sandy he is concerned with the scourge of youth drug abuse. He added that the shuttered businesses along Hylan Boulevard evidence the extent to which the borough is economically depressed.

After Sandy, he said, storm victims “feel like we’ve been quarantined and we live in a different part of Staten Island than we knew before the storm or than we knew 20 years ago.”

Recchia said there needs to be a push to get the Small Business Administration to the borough to help folks build businesses via SBA loans. He added that the $15 cash toll on the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge is also detrimental to the economy.

After the meeting, Recchia called Sandy victims’ experiences “inexcusable and completely unacceptable. Each day that goes by is one too many that the people of this district are unable to get the resources they need to rebuild their homes and lives. Staten Island and Brooklyn deserve better. In Washington, I will be that leader for the middle-class families of this district, where I will proudly work with anyone, Democrat or Republican, to get the job done.”